A Multi-Media Blog Produced By A New York Taxi Driver. News, Views, Reviews, Interviews, Jokes-

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Jen Chung, Jake Dobkin, John Del Signore and Garth Johnston at The #Gothamist- You have a problem spelled "one angry cabbie blogger" who picks up more black people on any given day than your number of black and latin@ staff.

I have to tell you that a couple of weeks ago I had a vague awareness that there was something called The Gothamist which I misunderstood to be a weekly give away that was trying to compete with The Voice.

It was not 'till I read one of John Del Signore's very dishonest attacks on New York cabbies that I started to think more about what and who you are. Then I caught up on Garth Johnston's totally wack and vicious piece of lying cabbie bashing and I WAS HOOKED. Let me tell you that I've cabbed for a total of 23 years out of the last 33 years and I came to the understanding that cabbie bashing, both the verbal and physical kind, which actually run on a continuum, is based on class and racial arrogance. As though to confirm this thesis of mine both Del Signore and Johnston slyly in a wink-nod-chuckle snarky sort of a way advocated crimes be committed against cabbies. You and Del Signore and Johnston are arrogant people who need to be brought to reality.

Anyhow as I've said I serve more black people on any given day than you have on your staff, and that should bother decent people and it should bother your advertisers who I am going to list partially here. To show the hundreds of people who will read this blog and tweets today and hopefully thousands more over the coming days I am borrowing your staff page for demonstration purposes:

Originally posted on June 14 this item will be kept qt the top of this blog for the time being.

staff

EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND CO-FOUNDER

Jen Chung

Jen, a New Jersey-born New Yorker, edits Gothamist. She attended Columbia University, likes learning about NYC infrastructure (the subway system's intricacies, how engineers design skyscrapers), and hopes that one day a NYC zoo will have pandas. Her favorite TV shows are usually crime procedurals set in New York City, preferably with a chung-chung sound effect. She also yells at cars for not obeying stop signs.

PUBLISHER AND CO-FOUNDER

Jake Dobkin

Jake was born and lives in Brooklyn. He attended PS321, JHS51, Stuyvesant, Columbia, and NYU, where he got an MBA. He claims to have never been away from New York City for more than ten weeks in the last thirty-six years. Surprisingly, his mortal enemy is... milk. You can learn more about Jake atfacebook.com/jakedobkin or twitter.com/jakedobkin.

TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR

Neil Epstein

Neil Epstein is a graphic designer with his hands in cookie jars around the city. He is left brain by day, right brain by night and no brain by the early morning hours. Neil is a New Yorker gone native who enjoys films, scuba diving, useless knowledge, and going feral in Prospect Park.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Tien Mao

Tien Mao, a New York native, formed his sports allegiances in the mid-80's and will watch almost any sport on TV. For some strange reason, Tien owns more than 50 pairs of sneakers while only wearing about 3 pairs. You'll probably find him watching TV, chasing his cat around, or hanging out in his Crown Heights home with a slice of pizza. Simply put, Tien needs to get out more.

MANAGING EDITOR

John Del Signore

Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has resided in NYC since 1995, and started writing for Gothamist in 2006. His first interview for the site was with Ian MacKaye, and he's since gone on to interview eachmemberof Fugazi. Next up: everybody in Nickelback. His writing has also appeared on The Awl, The Resident, The New Yorker ["The Mail" section, citation needed], and in electrifying theatrical form at The Brick Theater. He currently resides in Williamsburg surrounded by the ghosts of stalled condo projects.

DEPUTY EDITOR

Jen Carlson

"Rewriting her bio" has been on Jen's to-do list for 4 years, but until it is complete (let's face facts, this may never happen) here is what we can tell you: her first big concert was New Kids on the Block and her last one was Radiohead. Take that for what it's worth.

EDITORS

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas was born and raised in NY, and has written for WNYC, The Encyclopedia of NYC, and several little-read poetry journals; he also had a brief stint at Vandelay Industries. He has a giant poster of the legendary Dan Smith (who will teach you guitar), but still has yet to have a guitar lesson with him. He subsists on a diet of chinese food, billiards and concerts, and firmly believes that between here and there is better than either here or there.

Chris Robbins

Chris was born and raised in “The South,” meaning that he spent many years sighing and drinking iced tea under magnolia trees. Fed up with life in the NASCAR belt, he arrived in New York with two suitcases, a bike, and a nose that had yet to smell urine on a daily basis. Chris is well aware that he is named after a famous,future ambassador to Lithuania from the UK. Stop asking him about it.

Lauren Evans

Born and raised in California, Lauren Evans moved to New York mostly in hopes she would never have to lay eyes on a man wearing a thumb ring ever again. She currently resides in the pampered-baby paradise of Park Slope, which is strange considering her distaste for children of all ages. On any day with even a hint of sunlight, you can find her riding her bicycle around the city or trying to pet other people’s dogs in Prospect Park.

SPORTS

Tom Boorstein

Tom Boorstein grew up in East Norwich but has almost no Long Island pride. When his body cooperates, he likes to run over and under bridges throughout the city. When his body doesn't cooperate, he watches movies. He works as a website editor and has been known to view sporting events from time to time.

Dan Dickinson

Having grown up in the Finger Lakes, Dan's exposure to sports was limited to grainy VHS tapes of international soccer matches. He once organized a rebellion during a high school trip to go to the Meadowlands and watch the Metrostars play their second ever home game (of course, they lost). He moved to the NYC area in 2003 and can't imagine living anywhere else. When he's not apologizing to his wife for watching too much soccer, he can be found running a web development team, trying new restaurants, and trying to convince people Jersey City really isn't so bad.

WEATHER

Joe Schumacher

Joe Schumacher grew up in lake effect snow country in upstate New York. Joe liked the snow so much he majored in meteorology at college. When not enjoying the weather, Joe is busy blogging, eating Mexican food, and buying more CDs than is financially prudent.